Parachute harness



June 28, 1966 J. T. BASNETT 3,258,231

PARACHUTE HARNESS Filed April 19, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 In ventor Attorneys June 28, 1966 J. T. BASNETT 3,258,231

PARACHUTE HARNESS Filed April 19, 1965 s Sheets-Sheet 2 La JV Z AI Inventor cj4r1s 730M145 BAsA/e-r-r- June 28, 1966 J. T. BASNETT PARACHUTE HARNESS 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 19, 1965 lnvenlur United States Patent 3,258,231 PARACHUTE HARNESS James Thomas Basnett, Wolring, England, assignor to GQ. Parachute Company Limited, Waking, England, a British company Filed Apr. 19, 1965, Ser. No. 449,218 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Apr. 25, 1964, 17,226/64 9 Claims. (Cl. 244-151) This invention relates to harness such as is used by parachutists, industrial workers and the like.

Accidents have occurred to parachutists after they have landed because they have been unable to free themselves quickly enough from their parachutes.

The object of this invention is to reduce the risk of such accidents by providing a harness which can be quickly and easily discarded by the wearer.

Another object of this invention is to provide a harness made in such a way that a user can move out of the harness towards the front or towards the rear as is most suitable under the conditions existing when the harness is to be discarded.

A harness according to this invention consists of a main sling on which the user can sit as on a swing and which has means for connecting the harness to supporting means such as a parachute, straps which pass across the back of the user and other straps which pass across the front of the user to hold him on the main sling and means which allow these straps to be released so that they can be pulled away from the front or lifted away from the back of the user to enable the user to move away from the harness.

A harness according to this invention also consists of a main sling on 'which the user can sit as on a swing and which has means for connecting the harness to supporting means such as a parachute, a rear cross brace which is attached to the main sling and which forms at least part of the waist band of the harness, leg-chest straps which are attached to the main sling and which pass through loops carried by the said waist band, and a quick release box or buckle assembly to which the said leg-chest straps are connected so that release of the quick release box or buckles allows the leg-chest straps to be pulled clear of the waist band so that the user can move forwards out of the harness.

According to a feature of this invention the release of the box or buckles also allows the rear cross brace to be swung away from the back of the user so that he can if necessary climb out of the harness towards the rear.

A harness according to this invention also comprises a main sling on which the user can sit as on a swing and which has means for connecting the harness to supporting means, such as a parachute, a rear cross brace which is connected to buckles carried by the main sling and which forms at least part of the waist band of the harness, the said waist band terminating in loops, leg-chest straps which are attached to the main sling and which pass between the legs of the user, through links carried by the main sling and the loops carried by the waist band to a pair of quick release buckles which form a quick release assembly, the buckles having bars around which the ends of the leg-chest straps are passed, and means for holding the leg-chest straps firmly in the said buckles.

A harness according to this invention also comprises a main sling on which the user can sit as on a swing and which has means for connecting the harness to supporting means, such as a parachute, a rear cross brace which is connected to buckles carried by the .main sling and which forms at least part of the waist band of the harness, the said waist band terminating in loops, legchest straps which pass between the legs of the user and,

3 ,258,231 Patented June 28, 1966 through links carried by the main sling to the loops can ried by the waist band and a quick release box, the said leg-chest straps terminating in links which connect 'with the quick release box.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings of which FIGURE 1 shows a harness according to the invention, FIGURE 2 shows a slightly modified form of the harness without the quick release buckle assembly and the leg-chest straps, FIG- URE 3 shows a quick release buckle assembly used in the harness shown in FIGURE 1 and FIGURE 4 shows a type of quick release box which can be used with the harness.

The harness (FIGS. 1 and 2) consists of three main parts namely the main sling to which the leg and chest straps are joined, the rear cross brace and the quick release buckle assembly or box.

The harness of FIG. 2 is identical with that of FIG. 1 apart from a slight modification to the rear cross brace referred to later.

The main sling consists of a pair of side webs 12 and 13 to which the supporting means such as a parachute is connected, and a seat part 14 on which the user sits as on a swing. Adjusting buckles 15 and 16 are provided at about shoulder level on the side webs. For convenience these buckles are referred to as shoulder buckles 15 and 16 and the, portions of the side webs above the buckles are referred to as lift webs 17 and 18. Links 19, 20, are provided on the side webs 12 and 13 respectively. These links are attached at about waist level and are referred to as chest links 19, 20. Additional links such as those shown as 21, 22, 23, 24 may also be provided on the side links to 'which other equipment, such as, for example, a reserve parachute, can be attached.

At or near the centre of the seat part 14 of the main sling a pair of straps 25, 26 are attached. The straps are referred to as the leg-chest straps. The straps 25, 26 can be made long enough to reach the chest links 19, 2t and pass through them to the release buckle assembly as described hereinafter, but as shown the straps are short and carry buckles 29, 30 to which the chest straps 27, 28 are connected, the buckles allowing the lengths of the chest straps to be adjusted.

The rear cross brace 31 consists of a length of webbing which is connected to the shoulder buckles 15 and 16. The cross brace 31 carries near its middle part links 32 and 33 to which are attached short pieces of webbing 34, 35 which terminate in rectangular loops 36, 37. These loops 36, 37 are conveniently made of metal and are referred to hereinafter as Waist loops. These short pieces of webbing 34, 35 together with the part of the cross brace between the links 32 and 33 form the waist band of the harness. Adjusting buckles 38, 39 can be provided if desired in the cross brace to adjust the length of the cross brace and the position of the waist band. The webbing of the cross brace is arranged as shown in the drawings to cross at the back of the wearer, the webbing passing from the right hand shoulder buckle 15 over the left shoulder of the wearer and across the back of the wearer to the link 32 which is towards the right hand side of the wearer, through the link 32 then straight across the rear of the wearer to and through the link 33 towards the right hand side and then back across the rear of the wearer and over the right hand shoulder to the left hand shoulder buckle 16. The harness can be connected to a parachute container pack by, for example, passing the cross brace through webbing loops FIG. 2 such as 40, 41 which are attached to the pack. The loops 40 as shown hold the central section of the cross loop which forms part of the waist band of the harness as described above. As it may be difficult to pass the cross brace webbing through the loops, the loops can be provided with press stud or similar fasteners as shown at 54 to enable the loops to be passed over the cross brace and the ends of the loops refastened to the pack. The loops 40 can be replaced by flaps attached to the pack which are laced together to form a channel through which the central part of the cross loop passes. In the harness shown in FIG. 2 the cross brace carries the loops 36, 37 instead of the links 32, 33 and the links 32, 33 and the short pieces of webbing 34, 35 are not provided.

The quick release buckle assembly, FIGURES 1 and 3, consist of a pair of buckles 42, 43 connected by a piece of webbing 48. The buckles as shown are of the bar type, having bars 44, 45 respectively over which the webbing strap is looped and locking clips 46, 47 which press down on the webbing and force the webbing and bars against the sides of the buckles. The assembly is covered by a cover flap 49 which can be fixed in the closed position by press studs such as 50. The cover flap is provided with a roll handle 51 and the clips 46, 47 are connected together by a loop handle 52. The assembly can be joined to one of the side webs by a retaining cord 53.

The harness is fitted by locating the main sling around the torso of the wearer passing the leg straps 25, 26 between the legs of the wearer, and connecting the ends of the chest straps 27, 28 to the release buckle assembly, the left chest strap 27 passing through the left waist loop 37 and the right chest link 20 and then round the bar 45 of the release buckle 43 and the right chest strap 28 passing through the right Waist loop 36 and the left chest link 19 and then round the bar 44 of the buckle 42. The ends of the straps are tightened in the buckles and adjusted as required and the locking clips 46, 47 are pressed into position to lock the webbing onto the bars of the buckles. The cover flap 49 is closed.

To release the harness, the release buckle cover flap is pulled open by pulling on the roll handle 51 and the loop handle 52 is pulled to pull the locking clips 46, 47 from the webbing in the buckles 42, 43. This releases the chest straps 27, 28- which can be slid out of the buckles 42, 43 and pulled out of the chest links 19, 20 and the waist loops 36, 37. The user can then step forwards out of the harness. Should the harness be in such a position that the user cannot move forward out of the harness, or if the harness lift webs are twisted so that forward movement is difficult, the user can climb out of the harness backwards. To do this it is necessary for the user to pass the rear cross brace and waist band over his head, and this is simple as the rear brace is connected to the side webs only at the shoulder buckles and 16.

The quick release buckle assembly can be replaced by a quick release box, for example of the general type shown in FIGURE 4. As shown the box 55 is carried by a webbing flap 56 and is attached to the side web 12 by a short webbing strap 57. The chest straps 27, 28 terminate in cranked links 58, 59 which have apertures 61, 62 which are held on lugs in the box 55. The chest links 19, are replaced by V-shaped links 60 into which the cranked links 58, 59 will enter but will not pass through. In an embodiment of the harness using this type of box the path taken by the chest straps is through the waist loops 36, 37 as described above across the chest of the wearer to the opposite V link 60 and the cranked links 58, 59 are passed into the V links 60 and so into the quick release box 55.

To release the user from the harness the top of the quick release box is pressed or pressed and turned as required by the type of box used so that the cranked links 58, 59 drop out of the box and fall away from the V links 60. The chest straps 27 and 28 are then pulled through the waist loops 36, 37 and the user leaves the harness as described above.

The invention is not restricted to the particular embodiments described above.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A harness for parachutists, which consists of a main sling on which the user can sit as on a swing and which has means for connecting the harness to supporting means such as a parachute, a waist band having side portions freely extending about lift webs of said sling, each side portion having a loop in front and a link in back, a rear cross brace extending through said links and forming at least part of said waist band of the harness; said lift webs having chest links carried thereby, leg-chest straps attached to said main sling and which pass through said loops carried by the said side portions and through said chest links to quick release buckles, means connecting said leg-chest straps to said buckles so that release of the quick release buckles allows the leg-chest straps to be pulled clear of the waist band so that the user can move forwards out of the harness, or the rear part of the harness can be passed over the head of the user to permit the user to move rearward out of the harness.

2. A harness for parachutists, which consists of a main sling on which the user can sit as on a swing and which has means for connecting the harness to supporting means, such as a parachute, a waist band having side portions freely extending about lift webs of said sling and each side portion having a loop in front and a link in back, said main sling having links and said lift webs having buckles thereon, a rear cross brace connected to said buckles carried by said lift webs and to said links on said waist band and forming at least part of said waist band of the harness, said lift webs carrying chest links, leg-chest cross straps attached to the main sling and which pass between the legs of the user, through said links carried by the main sling and said loops carried by the waist band and through said chest links to a pair of quick release buckles which form a quick release buckle assembly; said buckles having bars around which the ends of the leg-chest straps are passed, and means for holding the leg-chest straps firmly in the said buckles, whereby upon release of the assembly the leg-chest straps can be pulled clear of the waist band so that the user can move forwardly out of the harness or the rear part of the harness can be passed over the head of the user to permit the user to move rearward out of the harness.

3. A harness for parachutists, which consists of a main sling on which the user can sit as on a swing and which has means for connecting the harness to supporting means, such as a parachute, a waist band having side portions freely extending about lift webs extending from said sling and each side portion having a loop in front and a link in back, said sling having links and said lift webs having buckles, a rear cross brace connected to said buckles carried by said webs and to said links in said waist band and forming at least part of said waist band of the harness, each of said lift webs also having a chest link, leg-chest cross straps which pass between the legs of the user and through said links carried by said sling, through said loops carried by the waist band and through said chest links to a quick release box positioned between said chest links, the said leg-chest straps terminating in links which connect with the quick release box, whereby upon release, the leg-chest straps can be pulled clear of the waist band so that the user can move forward out of the harness or the rear part of the harness can be passed over the head of the user to permit the user to move rear- Wardly out of the harness.

4. A harness as claimed in claim 1 in which means upon the release of said buckles also allowing the rear cross brace to be swung away from the back of the user so that he can, if necessary, climb out of the harness towards the rear.

5. A harness as claimed in claim 1 said rear cross brace has means by which the length of the cross brace and the position of the waist band can be adjusted.

6. A harness as claimed in claim 1 in which said legchest straps have means by which the lengths of the straps can be adjusted independently of the adjustment in the quick release buckles.

7. A harness as claimed in claim 2 in which said legchest straps are made in two sections connected by a buckle.

8. A harness as claimed in claim 1 in which said quick release buckle assembly comprises a pair of bar-type buckles.

9. A harness as claimed in claim 2 in which said quick release buckles are connected together and are provided with blocking clips which hold the leg-chest straps firmly in said buckles, said locking clips being connected together by a handle, means operated by said handle to release the leg-chest straps upon pulling said handle.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,589,086 3/1952 Irvin 244-151 X 2,643,836 6/1953 Carroll 244-151 2,725,204 11/1955 Horning 244151 SAMUEL KOREN, Primary Examiner.

HUGH R. CHAMBLEE, Examiner. 

1. A HARNESS FOR PARACHUTISTS, WHICH CONSISTS OF A MAIN SLING ON WHICH THE USER CAN SIT AS ON A SWING AND WHICH HAS MEANS FOR CONNECTING THE HARNESS TO SUPPORTING MEANS SUCH AS A PARACHUTE, A WAIST BAND HAVING SIDE PORTIONS FREELY EXTENDING ABOUT LIFT WEBS OF SAID SLING, EACH SIDE PORTION HAVING A LOOP IN FRONT AND A LINK IN BACK, A REAR CROSS BRACE EXTENDING THROUGH SAID LINKS AND FORMING AT LEAST PART OF SAID WAIST BAND OF THE HARNESS; SAID LIFT WEBS HAVING CHEST LINKS CARRIED THEREBY, LEG-CHEST STRAPS ATTACHED TO SAID MAIN SLING AND WHICH PASS THROUGH SAID LOOPS CARRIED BY THE SAID SIDE PORTIONS AND THROUGH SAID CHEST LINKS TO QUICK RELEASE BUCKLES, MEANS CONNECTING SAID LEG-CHEST STRAPS TO SAID BUCKLES SO THAT RELEASE OF THE QUICK RELEASE BUCKLES ALLOWS THE LEG-CHEST STRAPS TO BE PULLED CLEAR OF THE WAIST BAND SO THAT THE USER CAN MOVE FORWARDS OUT OF THE HARNESS, OR THE REAR PART OF THE HARNESS CAN BE PASSED OVER THE HEAD OF THE USER TO PERMIT THE USER TO MOVE REARWARD OUT OF THE HARNESS. 